Computer? Why or why not?

[Adventure Girl]

Shimano Flight Deck figures "virtual" cadence. You program it with your gears, wheel circumference, and crank length. It computes the virtual cadence by calculating how fast the cranks have to turn to get the bike to go a certain MPH in a certain gear. It's pretty complicated to me. But it won't work on a trainer.

[Quillfred]

I heard the wireless might be easier to install but otherwise wondering if one tends to be more reliable. Also is moisture much of an issue?

Thanks

[sydney_b]

I love mine too. I didn't realize how much until one night on the way home something was off and it wasn't tracking. I could barely concentrate on just getting home and out of the cold. I was so tempted to stop and trouble-shoot in the dark. I'm not even really training, I just like to know.

Sigh. A slight case of obsessive/compulsive maybe.


Oh well.

/s

[fixedgeargirl]

Shimano Flight Deck figures "virtual" cadence. You program it with your gears, wheel circumference, and crank length. It computes the virtual cadence by calculating how fast the cranks have to turn to get the bike to go a certain MPH in a certain gear. It's pretty complicated to me. But it won't work on a trainer.

Why won't it work on a trainer?

[Adventure Girl]

Why won't it work on a trainer?

It won't work on a trainer because on the trainer, your front wheel doesn't rotate. The sensor on the front wheel determines your miles per hour. The flight deck computer uses the miles per hour as one of the variables to calculate the virtual cadence.

[Grog]

I heard the wireless might be easier to install but otherwise wondering if one tends to be more reliable. Also is moisture much of an issue?

Thanks

I was worried about humidity too and I can tell you that after a winter in Vancouver - WET - it's still holding on (I'm still talking about my 23$ dblW4 here). I guess it wouldn't appreciate being totally immersed in water though.

Wireless is a tid bit easier to install but some models may be sensible to interference with other cyclocomputer and, in my case, street sensors that control lights. When I lived in Montreal, it would also freak out at a specific spot on my ride where I was riding really close to a concrete wall (which probably bounced the wireless signal back twice to the computer). So my "highest speed" is often 99.9 km/h. I don't care that much.

[nuthatch]

I love my computer, too. But I've got to say, taking a ride without it can be a freeing experience once you get over constantly glancing at the spot it took up on the bars! That's when you get to take one of those "la, la, laa" kind of rides!

[tulip]

I'm in the minority here, but I prefer to ride without a computer. I think they have become a crutch in many ways. When I raced, computers were very expensive, and I learned from a great coach how to spin without depending on a computer. My legs tell me.

I no longer race, but I love to ride my bike. Not having a computer allows me to enjoy the ride. Years back when I had a computer I ended up putting tape over it during my ride. That way I could get the mileage and average speed at the end of my ride without getting obsessed about it during my ride.

Just something to consider, otherwise you might miss the world as it goes by.

[Deanna]

I ride with a computer, but pretty much keep it on the average speed view and only checking the other stats at rest stops. I take time to "analyze" the rest of the data as I log it. I used to keep it on distance until one very tough climb that I knew to be "only" a mile. It seemed like it took FOREVER for each tenth of a mile to turnover. It was very unmotivating and made me feel like a slug.

[Pax]

I have the attention span of a flea on crack so I LOVE my computer! It gives me a place to re-focus when I'm off in my head solving the worlds problems instead of paying attention to traffic.

[Nanci]

My calorie counting software wants to know how many hours I rode at what mph- so I have to have a computer! (I think my calorie expenditure Saturday will be about 10,000! EEK!!)

Nanci

[MomOnBike]

I've been trying hard to increase my cadence, so the computer set to show the cadence is (for me, at least) necessary.

I'm also a wee bit obsessive/compulsive so knowing how far/fast I've gone fills a psychological need. Also, since I post on bike journal, those numbers come in handy.

My computer also continuously shows MPH, but I don't worry about it much, I'm slow. I know it. I don't worry about it any more. I still like to know HOW slow, though. Go figure.

[RoadRaven]

Why won't it work on a trainer?

You could get a "spare" back wheel and set it up with a magnet and leave it there to connect to your bike when you bring it in....


Or... even better... buy another bike... yeah... have at least TWO bikes and then your trainer bike can be permanantly set up with its own bike computer... and all your worn out tyres can be used up completely on the trainer!

[madisongrrl]

I have a rear wheel computer with cadence. It works great, especially on the trainer. The down side is you have to run cord down your frame to the back wheel. Small price to pay for knowing your stats.

I couldn't live without my computer. If you are doing specific training (especially if you are racing), you need to know your stats, including cadence (very helpful when doing speed and power intervals). Some people like to go by "feel", but 90rpm can feel different depending on how recovered/tired your body is (which is very similar to heart rate....175 bpm can feel comfortable or it can feel like death depending on how recovered I'm feeling).

[natheless]

I really enjoy having a computer. I love watching my average speed increase every year, post-winter, and knowing how far I've gone. I also like to ride routes I find in books, which are usually measured out by segment length, so the computer makes it easier to locate my next turn.

I usually only watch my trip segment odometer while riding, and I might check how I'm doing if I stop for a rest - I don't like to get too bogged down in the stats while I'm out on the road.

I'm actually considering getting a new computer to monitor cadence, but I'm not entirely sure it's worth it - plus, I'm having a very hard time finding one that isn't viciously expensive that has both cadence and two trip distance odometers. I'd rather have two trip odometers than cadence - I'm pretty much only interested in cadence from hearing people talk about it!